No. 9 Maryland women’s basketball vs. Rutgers preview

No. 9 Maryland ladies’s basketball’s excessive journey of six straight victories got here to a disappointing shut Thursday night time, because it fell simply quick towards No. 6 Indiana in a 68-61 defeat at Meeting Corridor.

In a recreation that had a March-like really feel to it, the depth was excessive early and infrequently, however it was the Hoosiers who have been capable of fend off valiant punches from the Terps en path to the slim victory at house.

Maryland was capable of even the sport at 50 late, due to a robust second half from Diamond Miller, who completed the sport with 19 factors after a tough begin. However the Hoosiers pulled away within the fourth, because the Terps’ physicality wained and Indiana made clutch photographs from past the arc.

“It was disappointing from our finish, however there’s a lot that we will enhance on. An ideal top-10 matchup for us to have the ability to study from, and once more, anytime you see a adverse help to turnover ratio, we’re not sharing the basketball, we’re not trusting the method and we’ve obtained to have the ability to enhance on that,” head coach Brenda Frese stated.

The Terps may have a first-rate likelihood to get again within the win column Sunday afternoon towards Rutgers (8-10, 2-4 Massive Ten). Tipoff from the XFINITY Heart is ready for 1 p.m. with streaming obtainable on Massive Ten Plus.

What occurred final time

These groups met lower than two weeks in the past, with Maryland coming in on a four-game win streak. However, the Scarlet Knights have been simply blown out towards Penn State, extending their dropping streak in convention play to a few.

Issues went nearly as anticipated from the soar, with Maryland dominating the primary quarter, outscoring Rutgers 24-9.

The Scarlet Knights have been capable of finding their footing within the second quarter, bringing the result in single digits as they ended the half on a 10-2 run.

The sport appeared to be slipping from the Terps only a bit as their lead was lower down to 5 early within the third quarter, however they emphatically responded with a 10-0 run. Frese’s squad carried that momentum via the fourth, holding a double-digit lead all the way in which to the ultimate buzzer.

Senior guard Abby Meyers led the way in which with 22 factors, and Diamond Miller took over in all aspects with seven boards, 4 blocks, two steals and 15 factors within the 78-67 victory.

“She surprises me each night time together with her expertise and ability,” Meyers stated about Miller.

Miller, a Somerset, New Jersey, native, had all the staff over to her house earlier than the sport.

“Maryland is my house away from house, so the truth that they obtained to see my precise house and my mother and father was actually cool,” she stated.

Miller and the Terps will look to brush the season collection towards Rutgers this Sunday.

What’s occurred since

It’s no secret that the Scarlet Knights are within the midst of an enormous rebuild, with solely eight gamers on their roster. Regardless of that, first-year head coach Coquese Washington has her staff enjoying impressed basketball over the previous two weeks.

Rutgers ranks useless final in scoring within the Massive Ten, but when coronary heart and depth have been measured, there’s a normal consensus that it could rank close to the highest within the nation. It’s pulled off two straight victories, placing forth defensive masterclasses in each matchups. After permitting 78 factors to the Terps, it allowed a mixed 104 factors to Nebraska and Minnesota.

As a reminder, Nebraska and Minnesota put up 90 and 85 factors, respectively, of their matchups towards Maryland.

On Jan. 7, the Scarlet Knights, who’re 7-4 at house this season, gained 57-45 over the Cornhuskers. Rutgers by no means trailed within the recreation after surrendering simply 5 first-quarter factors. Freshman guard Kaylene Smikle, who has been a vivid spot on offense for Rutgers, led all scorers with 20 factors.

The Farmingdale, New York, product adopted it up this previous Thursday with one other 20-point efficiency, additionally including 10 rebounds in an exciting 64-59 victory over a struggling Minnesota staff that has misplaced 5 video games in a row.

The Scarlet Knights will look to proceed their profitable spell with an opportunity at redemption towards the Terps, who handed them their final loss. Maryland is trying to bounce again from its first loss in over a month.

Three issues to look at

1. If Maryland accommodates Kaylene Smikle, it ought to win. Rutgers’ offense is one-dimensional, that one dimension being Smikle. Within the convention’s worst scoring offense, Smikle has been sensational. She’s rattled off three straight 20-point video games and had 29 factors within the staff’s assembly with the Terps. Her 16.9 factors per recreation are six greater than the staff’s second-leading scorer. If Maryland’s protection suffocates her on Sunday, will probably be a protracted day for the Scarlet Knights.

2. The Terps have been sad with their final efficiency. How will they reply? A staff of shot-makers was abysmal from the sector towards Indiana, capturing 21-of-57. Shyanne Sellers and Abby Meyers, who had been capturing very properly currently, went a mixed 7-of-22 from the ground.

“I assumed we obtained some some beauty. There have been uncharacteristic photographs that weren’t taking place,” Frese stated after the loss.

Whereas Rutgers’ protection might not equal that of Indiana’s, it has been stellar currently. Maryland shot 40% from three when it final confronted Rutgers and want to at the very least equal that after a poor capturing show in its final recreation.

3. Seven in a row? Maryland has taken the previous six conferences towards Rutgers and 13 of the 15 conferences all-time. The Terps are 6-1 in Faculty Park, with 5 of these wins coming by greater than 10 factors. After profitable two weeks in the past in Piscataway, New Jersey, the Terps will look to take each of this 12 months’s video games and make it seven victories in a row towards the Scarlet Knights.